1. SPASOWSKI INTRODUCED HIS PRESENTATION BY SAYING THAT
THE TIME AVAILABLE TO CONSIDER THIS MATTER HAD BEEN
RATHER SHORT AND THERE WERE DIFFICULTIES IN SCHEDULING
WHICH HAD LET THE POLISH SIDE TO DECIDE THAT IT WOULD BE
PREFERABLE IF THE FIRST CONTACTS WITH BNAI BRITH COULD BE
HANDLED BY THE POLISH EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON. REFERRING TO
EDELSBERG' S MARCH 1, DISCUSSION WITH AMBASSADOR TRAMPCZYNSKI,
SPASOWSKI SAID EDELSBERG HAD MENTIONED THE POSSIBILITY OF
VISITING POLIAND IN JULY, IF IT SHOULD NOT PROVE POSSIBLE
TO ARRANGE THE VISIT NOW. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SAY WHETHER
THIS MIMING WOULD BE THE BEST, SINCE THIS WAS VACATION TIME,
BUT THE QUESTION OF WHEN THE VISIT MIGHT OCCUR COULD BE
DISCUSSED IN WASHINGTON AND JULYSHOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED
AS A POSSIBILITY. THE MINISTRY HAD CONSEQUENTLY INSTRUCTED
THE EMBASSY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH PRESIDENT BLUMBERG OR
MR. EDELSBERG IN ORDER TO INITIATE THESE DISCUSSIONS.
2. SPASOWSKI THEN SAID THAT, AS I PERHAPS KNEW, THERE
HAD BEEN NO OFFICIAL POLISH CONTACTS WITH RESPONSIBLE
AMERICAN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. THERE
HAD BEEN A PERIOD WHEN THE AMERICAN PRESS PUBLISHED SOME
" UNFORTUNATE" ARTICLES ABOUT THE ALLEGED ATTITUTE OF THE
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PAGE 02 WARSAW 01203 151354 Z
POLISH GOVERNMENT TOWARDS JEWS. ( I SAID I WAS AWARE OF
THE WHOLE HISTORY OF THE PERIOD TO WHICH HE REFERRED,
AS WELL AS OF THE PRESS COVERAGE GIVEN TOTHE EVENTS WHICH
HAD THEN OCCURRED . ) HOW, HOWEVER, THE POLISH GOVERNMENT
WAS OF THE OPINION THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR POLISH- AMERICAN
RELATIONS TO DEVELOP SUCH CONTACTS.
3. COMMENT: WHILE SPASOWSKI WAS OBVIOUSLY GIVING A
NEGATIVE REPLY TO BNAI BRITH INQUIRY ON THE POSSIBILITY
OF BEING RECEIVED NOW IN WARSAW BY COMPETENT POLISH
OFFICIALS, HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS CONTACT WITH BNAI BRITH
WAS CLEARLY POSITIVE. WHILE HIS TREATMENT OF A LATER
VISIT TO POLAND WAS QUALIFIED, IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE POLES
ARE QUITE READY TO CONTEMPLATE ONE, SUBJECT TO THE RESULTS
OF WASHINGTON CONVERSATIONS DURING WHICH THEY HOPE TO GET
A FIX ON BNAI BRITH' S SPECIFIC AREAS OF INTEREST. END
COMMENT.
4. IN PASSING THIS INFORMATION ( INCLUDING THE EVALUATION
IN PARAGRAPH 3) TO HERMAN EDELSBERG, YOU MAY TELL
HIM FROM ME THAT I AM ENCOURAGED BY THE POLISH
RESPONSE. IF HE WANTS MY PERONAL OPINION, I WOULD
URGE THAT BNAI BRITH NOW PROCEED TO ENTER INTO THE
PROPOSED TALKS IN WASHINGTON.
DAVIES
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*** Current Handling Restrictions *** n/a
*** Current Classification *** CONFIDENTIAL

Raw content

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PAGE 01 WARSAW 01203 151354 Z
46
ACTION NEA-12
INFO OCT-01 EUR-25 ADP-00 CIAE-00 INR-09 NSAE-00 RSC-01
USIA-12 PRS-01 PA-03 RSR-01 INRE-00 /065 W
--------------------- 061300
P R 151310 Z MAR 73
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY
INFO SECSTATE WASHDC 3035
C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 1203
E. O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: SOCI, PL
SUBJECT: BNAI BRITH VISIT TO POLAND
REF: WARSAW 1163
1. SPASOWSKI INTRODUCED HIS PRESENTATION BY SAYING THAT
THE TIME AVAILABLE TO CONSIDER THIS MATTER HAD BEEN
RATHER SHORT AND THERE WERE DIFFICULTIES IN SCHEDULING
WHICH HAD LET THE POLISH SIDE TO DECIDE THAT IT WOULD BE
PREFERABLE IF THE FIRST CONTACTS WITH BNAI BRITH COULD BE
HANDLED BY THE POLISH EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON. REFERRING TO
EDELSBERG' S MARCH 1, DISCUSSION WITH AMBASSADOR TRAMPCZYNSKI,
SPASOWSKI SAID EDELSBERG HAD MENTIONED THE POSSIBILITY OF
VISITING POLIAND IN JULY, IF IT SHOULD NOT PROVE POSSIBLE
TO ARRANGE THE VISIT NOW. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SAY WHETHER
THIS MIMING WOULD BE THE BEST, SINCE THIS WAS VACATION TIME,
BUT THE QUESTION OF WHEN THE VISIT MIGHT OCCUR COULD BE
DISCUSSED IN WASHINGTON AND JULYSHOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED
AS A POSSIBILITY. THE MINISTRY HAD CONSEQUENTLY INSTRUCTED
THE EMBASSY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH PRESIDENT BLUMBERG OR
MR. EDELSBERG IN ORDER TO INITIATE THESE DISCUSSIONS.
2. SPASOWSKI THEN SAID THAT, AS I PERHAPS KNEW, THERE
HAD BEEN NO OFFICIAL POLISH CONTACTS WITH RESPONSIBLE
AMERICAN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. THERE
HAD BEEN A PERIOD WHEN THE AMERICAN PRESS PUBLISHED SOME
" UNFORTUNATE" ARTICLES ABOUT THE ALLEGED ATTITUTE OF THE
CONFIDENTIAL
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PAGE 02 WARSAW 01203 151354 Z
POLISH GOVERNMENT TOWARDS JEWS. ( I SAID I WAS AWARE OF
THE WHOLE HISTORY OF THE PERIOD TO WHICH HE REFERRED,
AS WELL AS OF THE PRESS COVERAGE GIVEN TOTHE EVENTS WHICH
HAD THEN OCCURRED . ) HOW, HOWEVER, THE POLISH GOVERNMENT
WAS OF THE OPINION THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR POLISH- AMERICAN
RELATIONS TO DEVELOP SUCH CONTACTS.
3. COMMENT: WHILE SPASOWSKI WAS OBVIOUSLY GIVING A
NEGATIVE REPLY TO BNAI BRITH INQUIRY ON THE POSSIBILITY
OF BEING RECEIVED NOW IN WARSAW BY COMPETENT POLISH
OFFICIALS, HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS CONTACT WITH BNAI BRITH
WAS CLEARLY POSITIVE. WHILE HIS TREATMENT OF A LATER
VISIT TO POLAND WAS QUALIFIED, IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE POLES
ARE QUITE READY TO CONTEMPLATE ONE, SUBJECT TO THE RESULTS
OF WASHINGTON CONVERSATIONS DURING WHICH THEY HOPE TO GET
A FIX ON BNAI BRITH' S SPECIFIC AREAS OF INTEREST. END
COMMENT.
4. IN PASSING THIS INFORMATION ( INCLUDING THE EVALUATION
IN PARAGRAPH 3) TO HERMAN EDELSBERG, YOU MAY TELL
HIM FROM ME THAT I AM ENCOURAGED BY THE POLISH
RESPONSE. IF HE WANTS MY PERONAL OPINION, I WOULD
URGE THAT BNAI BRITH NOW PROCEED TO ENTER INTO THE
PROPOSED TALKS IN WASHINGTON.
DAVIES
CONFIDENTIAL
*** Current Handling Restrictions *** n/a
*** Current Classification *** CONFIDENTIAL